Accidentially in Love
by citrus luver
Summary: The five times Jim and Leonard accidentally get married, and the one time it wasn't an accident.
1. Chapter 1: 5

**Author's Note: **This was written for Kitsuneyujji for the 2014 Happy Trekmas Secret Santa Exchange over on LJ.

**Accidentally in Love**

**5**

Really, the only explanation that Leonard McCoy could come up with was that karma was a bitch, with a capital 'b'. This only happened in those cheesy holo videos that Jocelyn used to make him watch.

When Leonard McCoy first became friends with Jim Kirk, he knew he was in for a ride. Jim Kirk was like a drug. He would get under Leonard's skin and then dig in so deep that he became addicted. Jim Kirk was an itch that he just couldn't get rid of, and after nearly three years, Leonard wasn't sure he wanted to anymore, not until that morning.

He awoke with the worst headache he had ever experienced. Worse than the night he turned twenty-one, worse than the night Jocelyn miscarried, and worse than after he killed his daddy and was served his divorce papers.

_God damn it_.

He heard an equally unhappy groan next to him.

He didn't remember bringing anyone home with him. Hell, now that he thought about it. He didn't remember coming home, or almost anything after Jim Kirk beat the unbeatable Kobayashi Maru. He did remember walking into the Delta Quadrant with Jim to celebrate...

"Shit Bones!"

Only one person in the world called him that, and similarly only one person could be that unbelievably loud this early in the morning, the aforementioned Jim Kirk.

"What," he managed to cough out of his parched throat. It felt like a fuzzy animal had gone and died there. He flat out refused to turn his head. His head hurt too much, and he really couldn't deal with Jim Kirk's revelations this early in the morning.

"Are we in Neo Vegas?"

Leonard's eyelids did snap open at that.

Instead of seeing the incredibly boring and incredibly yellowish white ceiling of his Starfleet issued standard dorm room, he was bombarded with a glaringly offensive neo green ceiling. He pulled himself up slightly to see a room that looked like a stampede of wild elephants had bulldozed through and left a wake of destruction behind. He grimaced when he located his jacket, which had been haphazardly thrown on the floor. There was a nasty tear along the hemline.

"Did we…"

Leonard turned his whole body. His head felt too full and dizzy to rotate. He was greeted by Jim's 'I struck the jackpot' smirk.

"Damn it, Jim." Leonard growled out. He sank back into the bed.

Jim opened his mouth.

Whatever Jim was going to say was cut off by the simultaneous pings of their communicators. Leonard didn't even want to try to figure out where he had tossed his. Luckily he didn't have to when he felt the bed shift slightly due a change in weight.

From the corner of his eyes, Leonard saw a very naked Jim Kirk rummage through the destruction. Leonard sank deeper into the bed. His cheeks flushed red as a thousand scenarios raced through his head, each one worse than the one before.

He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.

He felt Jim slip back on the bed.

"Who is it?" Leonard's muffled out from behind his hands, not that he actually cared. He was a grown, self-sufficient man, damn it.

"Pike and Boyce…" Jim answered easily.

_Great_

That was just what Leonard needed. He was thirty-one-years-old, damn it. He didn't need a fucking babysitter.

"They want to see us in Pike's office in two hours." Jim tossed his communicator onto Leonard's chest. Leonard groaned as he picked it up. He snorted when he saw Jim's newest 'nickname' for Christopher Pike: 'old geezer'. In that respect, 'Bones' was a better nickname; however, he was never going to tell Jim that. Damn kid didn't need his ego inflated any further.

They dressed silently and quickly. Jim bemoaned the fact that he couldn't remember anything that had happened, but claiming whatever happened had to have been awesome.

Leonard probably should have seen the warning signs when they checked out of the room. The receptionist was a little too happy even for someone working in Neo Vegas. Leonard could recognize that smile anywhere. Jim gave it to him often, the 'I swallowed a canary' look.

The only reason he didn't was because this was Neo Vegas. It was one of the last few corners of unadulterated decadence and indecency left on Earth. The receptionist probably flashed that smile to all her patrons. For the old saying, 'what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas' was still as true today as it was when Neo Vegas was still Las Vegas.

He couldn't believe he was even here. Jim had been trying to convince him to come for years now. He could almost picture exactly what Christopher Pike and Philip Boyce were going to say to them. Although Leonard wasn't the same kind of genius that Jim was at reading people, their advisors had to know there were in Neo Vegas. The message on their communicators couldn't have been a coincidence.

However when they did walked into Pike's office two hours and ten minutes later, because Jim wanted a butter croissant, and Leonard really didn't want to give them any satisfaction, he was completely, one hundred percent blind sighted. The 'fuck' that left Jim's lips was a clear indication that Jim hadn't expected this either.

Well damn.

As he sank into one of the chairs in Pike's office, he saw the gleam in both men's eyes. Christopher Pike was looked like a fucking, smug cat in his 'throne shaped' chair while Boyce was lazily reclining on Pike's couch in the corner.

Leonard grimaced as Pike passed them a PADD with the 'evidence'. Jim let out a low whistle.

"Really boys, Elvis impersonators?" Pike chortled. He looked like he was going to bust his gut at any moment from trying not to laugh.

Twenty minutes later, they walked out of Pike's office with two bruised egos, and a PADD full of 'memories' that Leonard was determined to 'burn' the moment he got his hands on the PADD.

"Keep the ring, Bones." Jim flashed him a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. It was only then that Leonard noticed the too small academy ring on his ring finger. Jim waved once before disappearing into the crowd.

"Infant," Leonard muttered, not unkindly. Leonard shook his head in exasperation as he moved the ring from his ring finger to his pinky.

Unfortunately, that wouldn't be the only time Leonard McCoy would have to file Starfleet's Marriage Annulment Form 0214.A1.


	2. Chapter 2: 4

**4**

"Damn it, Jim!" Leonard roared once their hosts had dispersed to prepare for the 'joyous occasion'.

_Joyous occasion his ass_.

Jim held up his hands. "I swear it's not my fault."

"How the hell do you mispronounce your 'chief medical officer' to your 'soon to be husband'?" However in this occasion, at the rate they were going soon was fast becoming synonymous with 'the next couple hours' because Jim just had to go and nod.

"Uhura…" Jim started.

Really Jim Kirk had to be the luckiest bastard in the world when his communicator beeped at that exact second. Jim held up a finger before pulling out his communicator. He flipped it open, swiftly and easily as if he had done it his whole life. Leonard crossed his arms. "Kirk here."

"I'm so sorry, Captain. It turns out the universal translator mistranslated chief medical officer to…"

"Fiancé?" Jim asked warily.

_Damn it _

Leonard knew that Jim knew Uhura wasn't sorry. When she was truly sorry, she didn't sound like this. He told Jim not to mess with Uhura, that it was a bad idea to prank his senior communications officer. Damn kid never listened.

"Yes, Captain."

Jim sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose before closing his eyes for a second. When he opened those deep sapphire eyes, he flashed Leonard one of his truly apologetic smile, which could only be for his benefit. "Well, tell the crew they are invited to their captain and CMOs' wedding then. Standard beam down procedure. Kirk out," he closed his communicator before Uhura could respond.

Leonard raised an eyebrow.

"See, I told you it wasn't my fault."

_Really, really?!_ _Jim Kirk actually thought it wasn't his fault. This was definitely his fault._

Leonard crossed his arms and scowled even harder. Really, braver and smarter men would have cowered in fear, but not Jim Kirk. Jim Kirk flashed one of his award winning smiles and slapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, Bones. At least we'll remember this time right?"

_God fucking damn it! _

So two hours later, in a room that was too white and covered with too many blood red roses, Leonard found himself standing under a makeshift altar draped with even more blood red roses and glaring at a sneezing Jim Kirk. So maybe he let Jim sneeze for a little longer than he should have. Later he would swear he was caught up in the moment, not punishing Jim for this predicament.

However when Jim leaned in for a kiss, Leonard had to wonder if Jim meant every word he had just said: everything about the 'forever'.

Leonard felt a tug in the bottom of his heart as Jim captured his lips with his own. It quickly disappeared when they pulled away, and Jim waved his hand and flashed his charming smile, the perfect captain...


	3. Chapter 3: 3

**3**

So the first time, they never talked about nor tried to remember. Leonard never did get around to burning that PADD, and he hadn't seen it again after leaving Pike's office.

The second time they both agreed to attribute to miscommunication although it was definitely Jim's fault. He still remembered Pike laughing when they sent in Form 0214.A1… again.

However the third time, Leonard couldn't really blame on Jim.

Really, as Leonard stood fuming in his birthday suit in front of a body length mirror while Freonian maidens painted intricate designs on him, he wondered when his and Jim's relationship had become _this_. He wondered when he stopped being able to say 'no' to Jim Kirk because really on a ship of a thousand crewmen he could have said 'no'.

Jim could have picked anyone. Well, maybe not Spock under threat of castration by Uhura. However Leonard couldn't figure out even now why when Jim strolled into med bay that morning looking quite guilty, he didn't run. Why even when Jim handed him the details for their newest assignment, he didn't just say 'hell no'. Because what civilization would only agree to have talks with married couples?

Why when Jim said so easily, 'we've already been married twice, what's the harm of one more?' he didn't punch the man.

Instead, maybe a little bitterly and maybe for reasons he didn't want to admit to, he drawled out an 'okay Jim'.

However what the fuck was this? He was a southern gentleman. This was borderline exhibitionist. His mama would be turning in her grave if she knew what he doing.

"All done, Doctor," the Freonian maiden on his left said. She beamed at him. Leonard could only smile diplomatically as he was led out of the room. He had learned that smile from Jim. He made sure the bouquet of flowers he was forced to carry was strategically placed.

Really, of all the Earth traditions that the Freonians choose to incorporate, they choose to keep the bouquet of flowers carried by the bride, not … clothes.

He smirked when he saw Jim at the end of the walkway without such luxuries.

It was the kid's fault for making him the 'bride'.

Really the only consolation out of all of this was that Pike couldn't laugh at them when they turned in 0214.A1 again.


	4. Chapter 4: 2

**2**

However when it happened the fourth time, Leonard wasn't even surprised. It was the fifth and final year of the five year mission. Unlike most of the senior command crew, he still hadn't signed on for another ride.

He was still deciding whether to sign on or take that extremely tempting offer that Starfleet Medical was offering him. Jim had been conspicuously mute about the whole subject. Unlike during their academy days where Jim would announce to anyone who would listen and every semester to Leonard when it came time to choose classes that 'Bones is going to be my CMO when I become captain'. It was always 'when' never 'if'.

However the glares that the rest of the command crew were giving him, even Spock in his Vulcan way, Leonard wondered if Jim had put them up to it. But Leonard knew, even though Jim was cunning and damn good at getting what he wanted, he didn't play dirty. On the other hand, his crew was incredibly loyal.

However, it did hurt that Jim hadn't just ask him to stay. It just further established his now standing belief that Jim was replacing him. He had always known that Jim would eventually lose interest in a cantankerous doctor who was creeping up on his fortieth birthday. The little voice in the back of his head kept reminding him that if Jim did ask, he wouldn't be able to say no.

In fact, lately Jim had been conspicuously absent. They usually saw each other multiple times during the day or if their shifts didn't coincide they would at least eat their meals together. In fact, normally Jim would just wander into sick bay for no reason other than that he wanted to talk. His reasoning was 'he was the captain. It was his duty to know what each member of crew did'. However, Leonard knew with good authority that Jim didn't have long conversations with most of his crew members.

Just as he decided to wander up to the bridge, the door to his office slid open and one Jim Kirk slipped through. The look on Jim's face gave him away immediately. It always surprised him how Jim was able to bluff his way through negotiations. He could read the kid like an open book.

"Jim," Leonard narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

Jim beamed at him.

"Jim," he said again, slowly. He drew out Jim's name into two long syllables.

"Ready to go on an away mission?"

Leonard raised an eyebrow. "Are you actually giving me a choice?"

Jim flashed a smile before slapping Leonard's shoulders. "Not really. We're taking the shuttle down in ten minutes."

"What's wrong with the transporters?"

Jim laughed. "Do my ears deceive me, or did Dr. Leonard McCoy actually just ask to use the transporter?"

"Ass." Leonard rolled his eyes. "Just seems strange is all."

"Didn't know you cared about tactics. However," Jim raised a finger. "We're taking the shuttles because the denizens of this civilization don't like transporters. And according to the Federation, they have quite a few interesting medicines, and I know you don't like using the transporters for medical supplies. So, win-win, right?"

Leonard couldn't help but light up at the mention of new medicines. They rarely went to planets that weren't stuck in the 'dark ages' when it came to medical practices. Hell, a high number of planets didn't even understand the importance of hand washing.

"Meet me in shuttle bay 2, Bones," Jim commented again before turning on the balls of his heels.

"Damn it," Leonard muttered.

Five hours later, three hours of which involved stuffy negotiations, one hour of touring the medical and research facility, which Jim had to drag him away from with promises to return the next day, and then another one spent on securing the supplies in their tiny shuttle, they were finally going to make their way back to the Enterprise.

That was had they not over stuffed the shuttle. The top brass were greedy bastards and had wanted one of everything that the aliens were willing to part with. Unfortunately, these aliens were extremely hospitable. As a result, there was absolutely no room for Leonard in the shuttle. Jim could barely squeeze into the cockpit to fly the darnn thing back.

Jim scratched the back of his neck. "I'll take the supplies up to the Enterprise then came back for you, Bones."

Leonard rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

Of course, the aliens had to be as polite as they were generous. "We can take the doctor in one of our shuttles," their guide suggested. He seemed to positively light up at the prospect of seeing the Enterprise. Leonard wondered if that had been the plan all along.

Jim beamed. He snapped Leonard on the shoulder. "Guess you're getting a ride." Leonard just rolled his eyes.

However as he strapped himself into the alien shuttle Leonard felt his stomach roll. As much as he hated transporters, he hated shuttles even more. He would never tell Jim or anyone else, but he only trusted Jim at the cockpit of a shuttle. As brilliant as Sulu was at flying, he only actually felt safe with Jim. As reckless as Jim was, it always felt better with Jim.

Leonard took a deep breath as they broke orbit. He could already make out the Enterprise orbiting in the distance. She really was a beauty. Leonard tugged on his seat belt again and settled in for the landing.

At that moment, there was a loud bang on the side of the shuttle. The shuttle lurched to the side, and a distant part of his brain identified the source of the noise as something impacting the side of the shuttle. "What the fuck!" He called out as the shuttle rocked again. He gripped his seat belt tightly.

He heard the pilot curse out. Even though his universal translator didn't translate obscenities, he could recognize it as such.

"We seem to have been struck by something," the pilot said.

Leonard recognized the urgency in his voice. Leonard watched him reach for what Leonard could only assume to be an alien equivalent of a communicator. He pulled the device closer to his mouth.

Before the pilot could speak, there was another loud bang. Leonard twisted his head around. Maybe that action saved him from been impaled. He hissed as something hard hit his shoulder blades.

Everything slowed at that moment. Even his head turned slowly back towards the pilot. His stomach rose from the pit of his stomach. His eyes widened as he saw the glassy look in the pilot's eyes.

As Leonard reached for the controls, and damn it wasn't like he even knew how to fly the thing, gravity seemed to remember its purpose. His stomach dropped with the shuttle. The shuttled shifted to vertical, and the horrifying, terrifying plunge that Leonard used to dream about took over.

It was only then that Leonard realized he had been screaming. .

The last thing he saw was darkness, and the last thing he heard was silence. This was the end. This was really the end.

The last thing he thought about was that it was ironic that he was really dying amidst darkness and silence, which had been some of the first words he had ever said to Jim on that fateful shuttle ride out of Riverside.

As his body was engulfed by pain and darkness, he wondered why the last thing he thought about was Jim.

He awoke to the feeling of a pair of soft, plush lips capturing his own. His eyes snapped open. He was greeted by a pair of unruly sapphire blue eyes belonging to none other than Jim Kirk.

Jim must have felt his movement for he immediately pulled away. Jim looked like an animal caught in a trap. "Jim?" He breathed out, too confused, too tired, and in too much pain to formulate a coherent question.

His confusion only intensified when instead of responding Jim ran his fingers over Leonard's. He creased each one of Leonard's knuckles. The only part of his body that didn't hurt, that wasn't sore. It was strange. In all the years they had known each other, Leonard wasn't sure he had ever seen Jim like this before.

It was only a week later, a week after too many hours with too many regenerators strapped to different parts of his body that Leonard learned exactly what Jim had done. Why he had acted so strange the day he woke up.

But seriously, seriously…

He scowled at the faux pumpkin carriage that he riding in. He tugged at the cuff of the snow white dress gown he was wearing. The only explanation was that the universe had to be fucking with him. He wondered what he could have possibly done in a different life to be saddled with Jim Kirk for a best friend.

Jim Kirk who was supposed to be a genius, at least his aptitude tests said so.

He still remembered the conversation he had with Jim the night before. Jim had looked spectacularly guilty as he walked into the room, and when Jim Kirk looked guilty it usually wasn't a good sign.

"Engaged, seriously, Jim, seriously," Leonard barked out the moment Jim confessed. He threw his arms up in indignation.

"They wouldn't let us see you. They claimed that because you had been hurt under their care, it was their responsibility to save you," Jim countered. "They wouldn't let us take you back to the Enterprise. They claimed if you died, it would lead to a galactic war."

Leonard raised an eyebrow. "Couldn't you have used one of the Federation laws or something?"

Jim's eyes widened. He bit the edge of his lip and twisted his fingers. "I panicked okay? You should have seen the shuttle, the pilot." Jim trailed off. He pressed the toe of his right foot against the heel of his left. He looked ready to bolt.

Leonard sighed. When Jim became like this, he really couldn't stay mad at the kid. "When's the wedding?"

But damn it, he was two years shy of forty, and even when his age had been in the single digits, he had never liked fairy tales. He definitely hadn't liked the ones involving females getting swept away by nameless princes. And he definitely, definitely didn't believe in 'love at first sight'. He was never going to live this down. He still couldn't face some of the crew after their last wedding.

Damn it, he was a doctor, not Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella or any other fairy tale these aliens had decided to smash together.

However as his 'pumpkin' carriage stopped in front of the 'castle', and the leader helped him out of the carriage, his jaw still dropped.

And when he saw Jim standing at the end of the long walkway in his princely costume, he felt his stomach drop. Even at thirty-two, Jim was still damn glorious. And even though the moment they returned to the Enterprise, they were going to file 0214. A1, at that moment, of all the entities in the universe, it was he who Jim Kirk was pledging himself to in a fairy tale wedding.

And when Jim kissed him after the extremely long ceremony that highlighted how 'true love's kiss' awoke him and even though Leonard had to work to keep his eyebrows from twitching at that statement, he couldn't help but be swept up by the 'magic' of it all. And maybe the kiss lasted a little longer than necessary, but Leonard wasn't going to say anything or complain about that.

A man could dream right? Even though he knew tomorrow, nothing would change.


	5. Chapter 5: 1

**1**

So the fifth time could have been easily prevented if he had just taken the position at Starfleet Medical.

However, the combination of a little voice in the back of his head and the scowls the bridge crew kept giving him led him to sign on for another five year mission, god help him. Jim just smiled a thousand rays of sunshine and slapped him on the shoulder before repeating the same words he said five years earlier "Come on Bones, it'll be fun."

So when they reached Trillian a few months into their second five year mission, the first thing they received over the subspace frequency was 'congratulations on their anniversary'. Leonard wondered why he never even entertained this possibility.

After all at this point, he and Jim had been legally married in three separate alien civilizations without counting their escapade in Neo Vegas.

The planets were all light years away from each other, but in a universe that was linked closely by warp drives and long range communications, what had happened really was inevitable.

He always thought Uhura was on his side; however, when she positively laughed after translating the message, Leonard started to second guess that assumption.

"Tell them we politely decline," Jim stated simply. Leonard could tell as Jim clinched the bridge of his nose that he was also developing a migraine.

"But Captain, they insist on helping you and Dr. McCoy celebrate your wedding anniversary before discussing trade negotiations. They believe it would be _impolite_ to infringe upon such an important date," Uhura stated again. Leonard saw the twitch on the corner of Uhura's lips.

Jim sighed. "Fine, tell the Trillians we graciously accept their invitations then."

"Captain," Spock started.

Jim sighed. "What is it Mr. Spock?" Jim just sounded tired.

"Let me remind you that our data shows that the Trillians are telepathic, and these negotiations are..."

"Are very important. Duly noted, Mr. Spock." Jim turned towards Leonard at that moment. He flashed him a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Ready to renew our vows, Bones?"

Even as the entire senior bridge crew stepped onto the transporter pad, because at this point Jim had stopped inviting the whole crew to their wedding celebrations, Leonard wondered which one of their 'weddings' they were actually celebrating. He could only hope the Trillians weren't that telepathic, because really, this could only happen to him and Jim Kirk.

However, five hours later, as Leonard stood under a strangely purple sky and stared at the incredibly blue eyes of one Jim Kirk, he decided of all their weddings up to this point, this ceremony was the most pleasant and the least strange of all their weddings.

And that thought had to have been what sealed his fate for better or for worse.

For as he and Jim leaned across the stone pillar and captured each other's lips in a kiss, because despite the fact they only kissed once every year or something, Leonard should have known, he really should have been suspicious when the fucking pillar started glowing.

However when the rest of the night passed without incident, Leonard promptly forgot about the glow. It was probably just the lights playing tricks on him.

Like all the other times, Jim was as charming as ever. He danced with his crew. He danced with the Trillian leaders who they had somehow managed to completely fool. Leonard wasn't sure what he thought about that. However, best of all he let Leonard drink, which was just fine with him.

So when two days later, with a shiny trade agreement in hand, he and Jim beamed back aboard the Enterprise. They were greeted by one concerned Spock in the transporter room.

"Captain, it seems the Trillians have just transported aboard..." Leonard saw a puzzled expression flash across Spock's face for a moment. "A belated wedding present for you and the doctor."

Jim stepped off the transporter with a large smile on his face. "Please tell Lieutenant Uhura to pass on our thanks then have Mr. Sulu take us out of orbit.

Spock frowned. "Don't you want to inspect the gift first?"

"We're on a busy schedule, and…" Jim pressed the PADD containing the trade agreements to Spock's chest. "We got the trade agreements. I seriously doubt there is anything disastrously wrong with the gift."

Famous last ones by Jim Kirk…

"However if it will make you feel better, we will go see what they gifted us." Jim pressed his palms together. Leonard watched as Jim stepped out of the door. He turned at the last moment. "Coming Bones?" He flashed a smile.

"In a moment." Leonard waved his hand.

Jim nodded before disappearing. Leonard stepped forward. He pulled out his PADD. Previously, Jim had always been the one to submit the documents. He figured this time he would return the favor. He held up the PADD to Spock. Spock raised his eyebrow questionably.

"0214.A1," Leonard said simply. When it came to Spock, simple was better.

"But Doctor," Spock stated. He could almost taste the smugness in his voice. "You technically didn't marry the captain this time."

_Oh... _

Guess they could bypass the awkward signing and having Pike and Boyce snicker at them again because Leonard could still remember the first time this had happened and how they had both almost burst their guts in trying not to laugh.

"Thank you."

And really that should have been the end of it.

"Captain Kirk to Dr. McCoy..." Jim' voice filtered through the intercom. The kid sounded positively terrified.

Leonard leaned across the transporter controls and pressed down on the com.

"McCoy here."

"Bones, Spock... I need you both to come down here."

"Affirmative Captain," Spock answered for them.

As they stepped out of the transporter room, a thousand, million thoughts raced through Leonard's head of what the wedding present could be and what had startled Jim so. Really, at that moment the worse he could think about was a killer plant or one of the other things that the Trillians were known to keep as pets. Didn't Sulu have one in the greenhouse? Maybe they could be friends or something.

However when they did reach the shuttle bay, Leonard halted. He fucking halted in the doorway. In the center of an oddly very empty shuttle bay was Jim holding a tiny bundle in his arms.

Maybe it was a dog or something? God he hoped it was a dog. Hell, at this point even one of those entertainers that had been present at their wedding would be better.

"Jim?"

Jim turned. His eyes were strangely misty.

_Fuck... Fuck... Fuck..._

"What is that?" Because even though he had a medical degree, and could already see what was in the tiny bundle, he really, really refused to believe it.

It wasn't Jim, who answered, but Spock. He forgot that Jim had requested Spock's presence. "It seems to be a healthy human baby of a few hours old with ..." Spock trailed off.

Leonard barely heard the words as Jim stepped forward. He placed the tiny bundle into his arms. As Leonard looked down at the tiny infant with Jim's sapphire blue eyes and his nose, he knew. He didn't even need to reach for his medical tricorder to know.

When the little girl reached up and grabbed a section of his uniform, he knew, unlike the other times, it would okay.

Maybe, maybe they would be okay.


	6. Chapter 6: Plus 1

**+1**

So after Trillian, Leonard decided the universe finally decided to stop shitting on him. Because really, after being gifted a genetically created daughter, which they did end up going back to Trillian for some answers, it turned out the Trillians decided that after so many years of marriage and without being gifted with a child. It would be the best wedding present for the captain of Starfleet's flagship and his chief medical officer.

He and Jim hadn't accidentally gotten married in nearly three years now.

Life was surprisingly okay. Sure, he never had 'that' conversation with Jim. Chapel and Uhura always looked at him reproachfully.

He had convinced himself long ago, maybe after the second time that Jim wasn't a marrying man. He was like the stars. He deserved to be free.

Besides, he smiled at the little girl currently happily playing with her stuffed animals on the floor of his office. The little girl smiled back up at him with a near identical smile that he saw everyday on Jim Kirk's face.

Little Joanna Lea Kirk-McCoy was enough. She was the light of his life. They didn't need to be married to co-parent. Hell, they didn't even need to have a romantic relationship. Whatever his relationship with Jim was, and that was confusing as hell, was enough.

And maybe just maybe, there had been moments during these last few years, when he looked at the Academy ring on his pinky, the one Jim gave him so long ago on that night in Neo Vegas, and wished that it did mean something more.

He never did see his own Academy ring again. He knew from the pictures that he had given it to Jim, but he had been too chicken shit to ever ask Jim what he did with it. It had been years now. Leonard sometimes wondered if Jim even remembered the ring on Leonard's ring was his own.

He shook his head before returning to his work. The part about his job that he hated the most, well not as much as warring with death to save Jim's life, but it had been weeks since the last incident, so currently the bane of his existence was a shit ton of paperwork he needed to finish.

He was so caught up in it that he lost track of time. It was only when he heard the door to his office 'whoosh' open, and he didn't even need to hear Jo scream out 'Daddy' in glee to know who had just entered. Only Jim Kirk never bothered to knock. Jim called it one of his 'captain' privileges', but Jim had been doing that since their academy days. Jim didn't believe in boundaries or privacy when it came to Leonard.

"Bones... Bones," Jim chided. "Standing me up is one thing, but are you starving our daughter now?" Leonard noted the teasing tone in Jim's voice despite how he felt about food and forgetting to eat.

Leonard glanced down at his chronometer, and his eyes widened. He couldn't believe how late it was, or that Jo hadn't gotten fussy.

He pushed away from his desk and crossed the room quickly. He smoothed back Jo's dirty blonde hair before pressing a kiss onto her forehead. "I'm so sorry, Sweetheart. Next time Papa forgets about dinner you let me know."

"'K," Jo nodded her head before planting one of her open mouth kisses on Leonard's cheeks. She didn't seem angry that he had lost track of time.

"Hey, don't I get an apology?" Jim pouted.

Leonard shrugged. "I said I might join you for dinner."

"Okay fine. Maybe I deserved that." Jim pulled Jo closer to his chest. "Come on Joanna Banana, let's get dinner." He watched as Jim carted their daughter out of his office. Leonard rolled his eyes before following.

However, when they did reach the mess hall, Jim handed Jo to Uhura before pulling him back out and into the turbo lift. It was only because Jim suddenly looked uneasy as they waited for the turbo lift to take them to their destination that Leonard didn't bark out a 'damn it Jim what the fuck!"

He was even more confused when Jim directed him back to 'their' quarters. 'Their' being a relative word since Jim and him didn't 'share' quarters. It was just that he and Spock had swapped rooms, so their living spaces were now connected by the adjoining bathroom. Initially, it was easier to care for Jo when she was an infant, and later because Leonard just never got around to moving back.

Jim seemed to be positively fidgety as he punched in the access code. Leonard wasn't sure he had ever seen Jim like this before. He was tempted to drag Jim back to sick bay and run a complete work up on him. Just as Leonard was about to reach for the cuff of Jim's shirt, the door slid open.

Leonard's hand dropped to his side at the sight before him. The room was dimly lit. In the center of the 'living room', which for the last few years had been littered with Jo's toys, there was now a table draped with a white table cloth. In the center of the table was a faux candelabra, where the fuck did Jim find that? But most of all at the two ends of the table was identical silver platters covered by silver domes.

At that moment, Leonard was tempted to turn around and walk away. It was only the hesitant look on Jim's face as he leaned against the doorway, and the fact this was Jim, damn it, that kept him there. "Jim?" Leonard whispered.

Jim pulled him inside and nearly shoved him into the chair. As Jim turned on the balls of his heels, Leonard grabbed his arm. "Jim?" He asked again. "What is this?"

Jim chewed the underside of his lip. "It's 2268.41." Jim responded so quietly that Leonard barely heard him.

Leonard blinked. He looked over at the chronometer, and did a double take. "Guess it is. Tomorrow will be ten years since the destruction of Vulcan." Leonard laughed. It was a dry laugh. "If you prepared this to con me into being nice to Sp..." The words died in Leonard's lips when he saw Jim's face darken.

It was only then that he noticed that Jim wasn't wearing his uniform. In fact, he had changed into a nice pale blue shirt button shirt and dark black slacks. The candle lit dinner, leaving Jo with Uhura and Spock...

_Oh fuck._

2268.41 wasn't just a random day. It was the day they first got married so long ago on Neo Vegas.

Jim scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I didn't forget that night," the words tumbled from Jim's lips.

"Jim?"

"I wasn't quite as gone as you were. When Gary..."

Leonard saw Jim's face darken. Gary Mitchell's death still haunted Jim after nearly ten years. Gary had been one of Jim's closest friends at the Academy, and he been one of the first causalities under Jim's command.

Jim shook his head. "Gary was saying how Starfleet rarely separated spouses. He said it would be the best way for us to stay together since we acted like a married couple anyways." The words jumbled together. As Jim spoke, it felt like the floodgate that had been blocking that night's memories broke loose.

"I said 'let's do it'."

Jim's eyes widened. "You remember?" Did Leonard detect hope in Jim's voice?

Leonard scratched the back of his own neck. "Kind of... a little... I remember you didn't want to at first, but we still did it."

Leonard looked at Jim. He really looked at him. He wondered if at that moment, despite knowing Jim for nearly thirteen years now. He finally saw Jim, the real Jim Kirk. He always thought he wasn't a man to form preconceived notions especially when it came to Jim Kirk.

However now, as the kid, who really wasn't a kid anymore, stood before him. He looked so raw and so young. He told himself Jim wasn't a marrying man, wasn't a family man, and definitely wasn't in love with a cantankerous divorced doctor who was afraid of flying and only agreed to see the stars to stay with him.

"Jim," Leonard licked his lips. The kid appeared ready to bolt. Thinking back now to all the times they had gotten married, Jim, even though they had all been half assed attempts, had tried which was more than he could say for himself. He always _chose_ him.

Jim, despite being a certified genius, was an idiot, and really in matters like this he was a little of an idiot too. After all, he might have fallen in love with Jim Kirk since that fateful shuttle ride when he threw up on the kid's boots.

"All those times…" Leonard trailed off when he saw Jim's face flush red.

"I guess I was hoping maybe one of those times we wouldn't fill out the form. That we would just decide the universe was just trying to get us together." Jim's reply was so quiet.

Leonard raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, Jim?"

Jim scratched the tip of his nose, a habit he did only when he was particularly embarrassed. "Okay, fine, maybe it was a little stupid."

"A little?"

"Okay a lot, but it's not like…" Jim trailed off and looked away.

Leonard McCoy never saw himself as a spontaneous man. He always weighed his options before leaping forward. There were only a few things that he did without planning, and he could count them all on his hand: joining Starfleet, requesting for a position on a starship, and it seemed now marrying Jim Kirk in Neo Vegas. Now that he thought about it, all those things had been or led him to Jim Kirk, and he had never been bitten for any of those choices.

So at that moment, he threw everything he ever believed in out the window. For Jim Kirk, he had once fought death and won.

He pulled Jim forward and captured Jim's lips with his own. He felt Jim's surprise gasp against his lips before giving in. Like everything else, Jim kissed him back with the Jim Kirk enthusiasm that Leonard had learned to love.

Although this wasn't the first time they shared a kiss, it was the first time that Leonard kissed Jim knowing that Jim knew he loved him, and he knew that Jim loved him back. The kiss wasn't universe shattering and in some ways it didn't feel much different from the other times they had kissed during all their fake wedding ceremonies. Instead it felt like he was finally coming home after a long journey.

"Yay Daddy! Yay Papa!"

They broke apart to the giggle and clapping of their three-year-old daughter.

Their impish daughter was bouncing on the balls of her feet. Behind her was an equally delighted Uhura and even Spock had what was the closest thing to a Vulcan smile on his face.

"We..." Uhura started.

Jim stopped her. "Come here, Jo-bear," he said mirthfully. Jo ran to them.

"Are you going to get married now?" Jo asked innocently unaware just how loaded the question was for her parents.

Jim laughed. He pulled Jo into his lap before looking at Leonard. Leonard smiled back before intertwining their fingers together.

"We'll see, Jo-bear. We'll see."

Exactly one year later, without any Elvis impersonators, blood red roses, fairy tale reenactments and gene splicing, and where everyone was thankfully fully dressed, Leonard McCoy in his dress blues married Jim Kirk in his dress greens in the chapel of the Enterprise with the stars whizzing by.

As Christopher Pike pronounced them man and husband, and Jim pulled him into a kiss, Leonard's heart swelled.

It might have taken them six tries to finally get it right, but it was worth. For Jim Kirk, anything was worth it.

_Fin_


End file.
